Posted - 09/04/2012 : 5:47:45 PM Last weekend I experienced my first knitting emergency (don't worry, it was not the type of emergency where you sit on a DPN you left on the couch and end up in the ER!).

DH and I planned a trip to Maine for the Labor Day weekend so I figured that between the drive time (at least 7 hours each way), the meals, and the evenings staring at the ocean I would get some quality knitting time: I packed a baby blanket that I need to finish for a coworker. Once I found myself in the car on Friday afternoon, I realized I had left the blanket in progress, pattern, and needles in my desk at work and that the two other skeins I had with me were kind of useless. We were way past the point of going back to work or home to get one of my projects and it occurred to me that most stores would be closed for the holiday weekend. Sniff sniff...

DH calmed me down by saying that we were going to stop at one of my favorite yarn stores (Purl Diva in Brunswick) on our way. He may have driven a bit above the speed limit to make sure we made it before the closing time. Once there the lovely Ellen helped me choose yarn, pattern, and needles for a new project in record time and I went on my merry way with something to keep me occupied during the long weekend.

Posted - 10/09/2012 : 09:53:34 AM My last knitting emergency was removing an afghan from its ziplock bag and discovering that the point protectors on the needle tips had come off. Dozens of unattached live stitches were just waiting to unravel. Since it was late at night, I left it until the next day. Took a long time but I managed to put all the stitches back on. Now I make sure the protectors are tightly attached to the needle tips.

luvcelticknits

Posted - 09/22/2012 : 2:01:11 PM Knitting Emergency: Last year I had a doctor's appointment. I waited for 2 and a half hours in the waiting room. I did not have any knitting or even anything to read. Now I know, plan ahead!

hillstreetmama

Posted - 09/21/2012 : 4:33:27 PM For travelling knitting, I always add in several balls of dishcloth cotton. If I finish the other project(s), or run into any problems, I can always knit dishcloths with no pattern. Since I never have enough of them to supply all my family/friends that want them, it's just a nice thing to have along.

Jan

Rwats2

Posted - 09/21/2012 : 1:38:05 PM Kim, Are there knitting and yarn apps for the ipad?

Rebecca + Amelia(Stinkerpaws)

CrystalCactus

Posted - 09/17/2012 : 12:45:08 AM Returning to the U.S. from a trip to Ireland, I had my entire new set of Knitpicks interchangeabe circular needles confiscated at the Dublin airport! I protested in vain that I had knitted all the way over the Atlantic from the USA, but apparently the rules were different for going back. (no signs were posted to let you know) The young lady who grabbed my needles didn't even know what they were, even with my current project in the bag. She took so long checking with various people that there wasn't enough time to get the needles into my checked baggage. My family and I barely made the flight, and I had a black cloud hanging over me all the way home. So don't assume you'll be allowed to use your needles on every flight!

KrazyKim

Posted - 09/13/2012 : 09:07:47 AM

quote:Originally posted by emmyc

I recall leaving a pattern in the seat pocket on a plan, and having to call my DH, have him find the original and read it out to me. But Minh's story has me wondering if my Iphone or car navigation can find knitting stores for me, just in case? anyone asked Siri?

emmycwinchester ma

Forgot to mention my Yarnphone app! Using your phone's GPS, it will locate all the yarn shops near your location!

Kim, Playa del Rey, CA

KrazyKim

Posted - 09/13/2012 : 09:05:51 AM

quote:Originally posted by emmyc

I recall leaving a pattern in the seat pocket on a plan, and having to call my DH, have him find the original and read it out to me. But Minh's story has me wondering if my Iphone or car navigation can find knitting stores for me, just in case? anyone asked Siri?

emmycwinchester ma

If you have an iPhone, that's where you're in luck! You'll never want for your patterns again! You can call up the Ravelry app and look in your library. Download your pattern, and take screen shots of the page you need. I work so often directly from my phone now (it started with an ink shortage in our printer, and an "away-from-home-without-my-pattern" incident) that I rarely print out my patterns anymore... maybe a complicated lace chart, but that's about it!

Kim, Playa del Rey, CA

truly violet

Posted - 09/13/2012 : 08:37:00 AM

quote:Originally posted by minh

Last weekend I experienced my first knitting emergency (don't worry, it was not the type of emergency where you sit on a DPN you left on the couch and end up in the ER!).

DH and I planned a trip to Maine for the Labor Day weekend so I figured that between the drive time (at least 7 hours each way), the meals, and the evenings staring at the ocean I would get some quality knitting time: I packed a baby blanket that I need to finish for a coworker. Once I found myself in the car on Friday afternoon, I realized I had left the blanket in progress, pattern, and needles in my desk at work and that the two other skeins I had with me were kind of useless. We were way past the point of going back to work or home to get one of my projects and it occurred to me that most stores would be closed for the holiday weekend. Sniff sniff...

DH calmed me down by saying that we were going to stop at one of my favorite yarn stores (Purl Diva in Brunswick) on our way. He may have driven a bit above the speed limit to make sure we made it before the closing time. Once there the lovely Ellen helped me choose yarn, pattern, and needles for a new project in record time and I went on my merry way with something to keep me occupied during the long weekend.

Posted - 09/13/2012 : 07:44:36 AM Last January we were driving to Florida from Chicago for a very long vacation. I brought only one project in the car to work on, a baby sweater for my niece's not yet born child. I couldn't believe how quickly I finished it. What was I thinking? I prevailed upon my dear husband to stop at a LYS in Nashville to ease my growing panic. When we got there, the shop was gone! Obviously they had moved or closed and the internet did not keep up with this new development. We called the number and fortunately found they kept it and moved only 3 miles away. When we got there I entered and announced to the woman behind the counter that I had a knitting emergency, and we were on our way to Florida. I LOVE other knitters. She totally understood and helped me put together another project. That one was finished by the time we were settled into our rented condo in Ft. Myers. Before we left, I visited a shop on Sanibel Island...the ONLY LYS left in the entire area, to get a return home project that lasted me the whole way. While online stores are wonderful for getting a wide range of yarns at a lower price, what would we do without our LYS's? It would be awful.

carolyn2001

Posted - 09/13/2012 : 05:10:21 AM Last week we were on a cruise to from NY to Bermuda. When we got there, we took a taxi tour of the island. In the process of sitting in a tiny car my Knit Picks fixed circ broke .... It was magic looping my ohhhh comfort knitting (Desert Vista self striping yarn and basic vanilla sock). I had another project on the ship but I will never feel that I've overpack knitting projects and tools again. I will always travel with extra project and needles, etc. First world prob, but so important!!!! Especially since Hurricane Leslie caused extra days at sea than in port so I would have gone bonkers without a knitting project.....really!

stherio

Posted - 09/13/2012 : 05:06:04 AM Every year when we go on vacation, I take at least 3 totes of yarn with at least 4 different patterns. My husband mutters a lot when he realizes most of his clothes have been left home to make room for the totes. And to make matters worse, I ALWAYS carry on a tote with a project. This past summer, I was "commanded" to bring only 2 projects - one packed, one SMALL carry on (no extra stuff - just the project). I agreed since I have never really needed 4 projects. (But what IF....) Imagine my horror when I was at the airport working on a sweater for my new grandbaby and I discovered that I needed to start working on sleeves in the round and I was missing a DPN??????? I looked at the clock - 2 hours before the next flight and NO KNITTING????????? I brought a book, but it just wasn't the same. I knew that if I had packed my usual 4 projects, all my DPN would have been included (in my carry on)......live and learn..... Next year he'll be back to the diminished wardrobe and I'll have a larger carryon.

Suzy

sockjoan

Posted - 09/13/2012 : 04:34:35 AM About a year ago I was going on a long trip to a country show with a girlfriend. We travelled in her car, and I tossed my knitting - a lace shawl - in before I climbed in. Unfortunately the knitting landed on the car floor and my foot landed on the knitting, snapping one wooden end of my KnitPicks needle. So I couldn't knit for the whole hour-and-a-half it took us to get there. But there was still a bit of the needle left, so on arrival I sought out the woodworker's stall and borrowed tools and sandpaper from him. A rather-too-short needle is a GREAT deal more useful than no needle, and I knitted happily all the way home. Though I did go to the knitting shop as soon as possible afterwards to buy a new set of tips!

orangeduchess

Posted - 09/13/2012 : 03:35:28 AM I traveled in Europe for three weeks this summer. I carried sufficient yarn with me to work on my cape, I had extra cable for my tunesian extend-a-needles because I knew I wouldn't be able to find any there and the cables had come out of the needles before. I also had an extra copy of the pattern squirreled away in my suitcase in case I lost the pattern that I carried in my handbag. And then I did most of the driving during the first week and so I hadn't a lot of time to crochet but then we boarded the train and after that we had my mother as chauffeur. BUT I somehow must have lost the needle on the train and couldn't continue crocheting for the next two weeks in spite of turning the car inside out several time in the hopes of finding it there after all, ransacking the hotel room (maybe it had rolled under the sofa, but no such luck? and stopping at every yarn stop but being proven right that German craft stores do not carry tunesian needles of the diameter that I needed (much less ones that I could have attached my cables, too). My advice: Pack plenty of extra yarn, copies of the pattern AND ADDITIONAL TOOLS. LOL.

EmEm

Posted - 09/11/2012 : 7:42:00 PM Everyone makes fun of me when I show up with 4 or 5 "in progress" projects. But after reading all these posts, I'll continue to fill my backpack. I also have a dog who likes bamboo DPN's, my Clover size 8's have one needle shorter than the rest. It did show me that my DH can match the points pretty good with the tools from his workbench.

emmyc

Posted - 09/11/2012 : 04:44:00 AM I recall leaving a pattern in the seat pocket on a plan, and having to call my DH, have him find the original and read it out to me. But Minh's story has me wondering if my Iphone or car navigation can find knitting stores for me, just in case? anyone asked Siri?

emmycwinchester ma

Nanaknit

Posted - 09/09/2012 : 11:16:14 AM Oh, Moogie, that is so funny! Your husband certainly has much more patience than mine.

Linda

"Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't." -Eleanor Roosevelt

Grand-moogi

Posted - 09/09/2012 : 07:29:36 AM Hee hee That reminded me. I got stuck somewhere without the pattern once and I ended up calling my husband and he had to read it out to me. It was quite a challenge but he is now proud of the fact that he knows about K meaning knit and P meaning purl and tog is together etc. I got him to read out a few lines and then when I had finished that bit I called him again and he read out the next bit. He became quite good at it. He even knows what steeking is and he does not like it. He says it is too stressful for him when he knows we are steeking. We are not to tell him 'til it is done.

I knit a hug into every stitch

Nanaknit

Posted - 09/06/2012 : 2:08:26 PM My recent knitting emergency was a true emergency. I received a phone call that my SIL had been in a motorcycle accident and was being med flighted to a trauma center about 30 miles away. I grabbed my knitting bag on the way out-it was a mindless project that I knew would help pass the time during what I was sure would be a long night.

We got to the hospital and I settled down to wait for news with my knitting...only to realize I'd left the pattern on the coffee table. We were there for 12 very long hours and I had nothing to keep my hands busy. My SIL is ok, and I learned a very important lession; always put your pattern back in the bag with the project when you set it down lol.

Linda

"Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't." -Eleanor Roosevelt

jaymeKnits

Posted - 09/05/2012 : 10:37:36 AM I've never had this happen. I'm at work with 3 projects in my bag and my sketch/chart/idea book and pencil, and of course some extra yarn and needles in case I want to swatch part of a pattern.

The closest I've fourteen was when I went away for a retrench and stayed for over a week. I cast off my last project as it was getting dark 30 minutes from home.